Samsung: Wannabe Apple Corp
Irecently spent a week roughly south of Buri Ram in the Northeast. I was far enough away that my AIS SIM could not reliably pick up data and it was an interesting feeling to be disconnected for such a time. There are now apparently psychological conditions being defined for those who feel a lack of continuous connectivity but for my part at least it was a short enough time to be a novel experience. It did highlight just how much those who are part of the modern world rely on connectivity for news and contact. When I was younger we thought nothing of waiting a few weeks for a reply to a written letter. These days some feel put out if they don’t get a reply within a few seconds.
Samsung seems to be desperate to turn themselves into Apple if the latest Note 5 and S6 variants are any indication. Despite the new style coolness factors there are some features that may turn off a segment of the market.
The first is a non-removable battery that is smaller in mAh than found in the Note 4. Yes the new screen and CPU will average this out to be about the same battery life but really, the same battery life and you can’t carry a spare is just ridiculous as anyone who travels can confirm. Next is the non-support for a Micro-SD card. The models are 32 and 64GB only, yes not even a 128GB model so you get to carry your music, store your apps, photos and videos on phone memory only. Again for those who travel this is absurd. The screen resolution is the same at 2560x1440 as is the screen size at 5.7 inches.
On the plus side, the CPU and performance is faster. Wireless charging is integrated. The cameras are better at 16MP f/1.9 back with 4K video, autofocus and slow motion support for the back version, while the front camera is 5MP f/1.9. The pen is slightly better and you can make notes on the black screen without needing to turn the screen on. Even with these updates Samsung now have no phone model that will encourage me to upgrade from my Galaxy S5, unless I move to the Note 4. In a world where market differentiation is key I for one do not understand the reasoning behind downgrading your flagship product to the level of an iPhone. I have written a letter to Samsung HQ on these issues so it will be interesting to see what response I get.
On the subject of cameras in phones, for the most part the modern devices do quite a good job in the point and shoot category. Apart from getting two devices, if you want a phone and better pictures you could try something like the new Panasonic Lumix CM1. There have been hybrids in the past but this one comes with a 1-inch sensor which you will also find in say a Sony RX100 or Panasonic FA1000 camera. With a larger sensor comes better low light handling and resolution. This latest iteration of the phone camera hybrid manages to fit a 2.8f/2.8 Leica lens which is impressive.
As a smartphone the device does not have all the features of the high-end models but it is as good as the best 4.7-inch screen models of 2014 with 16GB of RAM and supporting a microSD card with Android 5.0 Lollipop installed. The camera app is good as the auto mode for that quick shot.
As a camera it has problems at night with blur because there is no optical image stabilisation (OIS) and the flash is a LED rather than a better Xenon version. No tripod mount and 300 still images on the battery, less if you are a big smartphone user and with no quick charge capability you may need to carry a battery recharge pack. No zoom and 4K video at 15fps is a bit lame as is the front 1.1MP camera. The screen is not great outside in the sunlight and the lens has no protector. All in all however it is the best of the camera phones to date but with the high 49,800 baht price tag this could stay only in the hands of those with lots of disposable income.
While still on the subject of phones I was talking with a friend who has one of the later iPhones. She was telling me that she has yet to pay for an app and does not need to go through iTunes to get them and instead uses the newer Apple Store. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it is still the iTunes App store. As a previous Samsung Galaxy series user she also explained that the iPhone handled multiple applications open at the same time better than the Android devices which tended to heat up with too much running. She was also happy to see no ads in the apps she was using. It appears that while Samsung is trending towards Apple, Apple is trending away from themselves, slightly.